


Thoughts on Moments in Time

by Thalassa



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-04-06 13:12:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4223025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thalassa/pseuds/Thalassa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's all a matter of perspective. </p>
<p>Thoughts of different people about particular moments in time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tyrion

**Author's Note:**

> Ficlet. Not yet sure if I should expand this or leave it on its own. But in the meantime--
> 
> Tyrion's initial thoughts on seeing Brienne.

_His brother was an idiot._

Tyrion Lannister had known his brother all his life, loved him best out of all of his family members (not that he loved many of them at all), and, in this instant, was absolutely sure that his older brother was in a serious state of denial.

Tall, handsome, notorious Jaime Lannister was currently standing at the side of the room, looking thoroughly enthralled by the big, blonde, very tall woman with unbelievably long legs who just arrived. As she started scanning the room, Tyrion noticed her bright blue eyes and remembered his brother waxing poetic about “eyes that looked into your soul; that are as clear and bright as the blue, blue sea on a warm summer's day”.

_Hello, Brienne,_ Tyrion thought.

Just then, a dark-haired man with flirty eyes and a distinctive nose approached Brienne with a dashing smile in place, charm oozing out of his pores.

_Aaah. Interesting. Oberyn Martell._

Brienne initially looked surprised, then confused, as Oberyn tried to engage her in conversation. His golden brother, on the other hand, had a look about him that would have struck Oberyn dead if only looks could kill.

A small smile escaped Tyrion’s lips.

_Jaime, Jaime, Jaime. For someone who says he’s not in love, you’re doing quite a good impression of it._


	2. Oberyn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everybody who has given kudos and encouragement to the first chapter! :)
> 
> When I posted the first chapter, I didn't really know if it going to be a one-shot or not, but I posted it anyway, and quickly, in order for me to stop obsessing over it so much to the point of being paralyzed by the feeling of "maybe I shouldn't post this after all." That being said, please take note that this story is now being written chapter by chapter, by the seat of my pants-- no master plan, no outline, no beta--and is just driven by inspiration, encouragement, , and a determination not to over-obsess about the quality of the work that would just lead to paralysis. ;P
> 
> Hope you continue to join me in this story. :)

_Tall. Gorgeously, stunningly tall._

That was Oberyn’s first impression upon seeing Brienne Tarth enter the room.

He didn’t know Brienne personally, no, but he heard enough things from his nephew and his nephew’s girlfriend to know that it was her. And with that height and those legs, he was fascinated enough to want to meet her as soon as possible.

“Hello,” he said, approaching her immediately. She turned around, eyes widening as if surprised that someone spoke to her.

_Her eyes were so, so blue._

She gave a small nod, saying hello back.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Oberyn Martell,” he said, while reaching out his hand.

“Brienne Tarth,” she said, taking his hand in hers for a traditional handshake.

Oberyn clasped her hands in both of his, giving her a killer smile. “I know. I’ve heard so many good things about you from Trystane and Myrcella that I just had to come over. I’m glad to have finally met you.”

_Her hands were big and warm. Not uselessly soft, no, not like those ladies who just lunched and did nothing else, but lovely, strong, capable hands. Interesting. He liked her hands._

“Oh! Martell! You’re Trystane’s…?”

“Uncle,” Oberyn replied, all the while keeping her hand between both of his. “Trystane’s father is my older brother.”

Suddenly, he felt an urge to look to his right-- an instinct born of training that started when he was still a child, to warn him of danger and impending harm. He gave in and turned, and found Jaime Lannister visibly gritting his teeth while giving him a death stare.

Oberyn grinned internally.

_Oooh, Lannister. Is that how it is?_

He was already interested in Brienne to begin with, but he was much more intrigued now. And maybe ( _just maybe)_ a little bit glad at having an opportunity to irritate this Lannister.

He continued to keep her hand between his while lowering his voice and looking into her eyes.

“Maybe we can sit together to watch the play?”

“Wench!,” a voice suddenly boomed behind Oberyn, while a body jostled him enough to cause him to release Brienne’s hand.

At that, Jaime Lannister quickly put his arm around Brienne while she was protesting his nickname for her. Lannister then made eye contact with Oberyn, cool green meeting deep brown.

_Really, Lannister?!?_

“Martell!,” he said, with a smile that was anything but friendly. “I didn’t know you were the type to attend school plays.”  

Oberyn smiled back.

“Trystane was so excited about the play. Myrcella, too. Of course, I had to come.”

“I hope you’ve made arrangements to have a good seat reserved for you, then,” Lannister answered, with a drawl appearing in his voice. “The house is quite packed.”

“Don’t worry about me, Lannister,” Oberyn replied. “Everything’s been arranged.” Oberyn turned back to look at Brienne with a warm smile.

“We need to get to our seats soon, Brienne,” Lannister said, cutting off the eye contact between her and Oberyn. He then took Brienne’s arm while slowly ( _and, for Oberyn, obviously)_ steering her away.

“Nice to meet you, Oberyn,” Brienne looked at him, still keeping to her manners.

_Doran would like her_ , Oberyn thought.

Meanwhile, Lannister had now taken hold of her hand and was trying to drag her away.

“See you soon, Brienne,” Oberyn said with a smile on his lips as Lannister and Brienne headed towards the doors of the theater.

_I like her,_ Oberyn thought. _And it was fun pissing Lannister off._

_This is going to be fun._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, really wanted this chapter to continue on with Tyrion, but it was all Oberyn in my head. So, Oberyn. :) Let's see who turns up next. :)


	3. Tyrion and Oberyn

“I didn’t know your brother was dating the delectable Ms. Tarth”, a low, Dornish voice said behind him without preamble.

_Oberyn._

Tyrion turned around and glanced upwards.

“He’s not.”

Oberyn cocked his head.

“He’s not? The way he was acting, I thought he’d already wrapped her in a red cloak decorated with a Lannister lion in front of a septon.”

“My wonderful brother says that they’re…”-- Tyrion paused, a sarcastic tone creeping into his voice—“friends. Just friends. At least that’s what he said. ”

Oberyn laughed, white teeth flashing, while others in room glanced at him with appreciative eyes.

“Among the long list of faults that I attributed to your family, blind was not something that was part of that list. I guess I’ll have to add it now.”

Tyrion arched an eyebrow. “Oberyn. That’s my brother you’re talking about.”

“And I'm telling the truth,” Oberyn said unrepentantly. “Was I wrong?”

Tyrion shrugged.

“Some people take a while before reaching a realization. And some people need a little help.”

Oberyn leaned against a wall, looking at Tyrion fully.

“She’s a truly lovely girl, Brienne. I couldn’t understand how people could think otherwise.”

“Blindness comes in many forms, and the world has more than its share of blind men and women,” Tyrion replied sadly. “My brother doesn’t know it yet, but he does think she’s lovely. More than lovely, if I may say so myself. ”

Oberyn paused. “Well, if he doesn't know it, that’s no one’s fault but his own.” He then continued with a grin. “I do believe, though,” he said, “that I’ll ask the lovely Brienne out to dinner.”

Tyrion's mouth quirked into a frown.

“Wouldn’t Ellaria mind?”

“Ellaria and I understand each other. We’ve always understood each other.”

Tyrion sighed.

“It amazes me how the two of you could love each other so deeply and yet be so open to being with other people. But it isn’t my business, so I’ll keep quiet. In any case, from what I've heard, I don’t think Brienne is the type to be comfortable with that kind of situation.”

Oberyn teasingly replied. “She wouldn’t know until she’s tried it.”

“My brother,” Tyrion answered, “would not be happy with that. He’s not the type to share.”

“It's none of his business.”, Oberyn replied dryly. “You said he said that they’re just friends. She belongs to herself.”

“They belong to each other, I think,” Tyrion answers while looking into the distance.” Just like you and Ellaria, but without the flitting around. They just don’t know it yet.”

There’s a tinge of amusement in Oberyn’s voice. “And what? You plan to let them know?”

Tyrion suddenly looks up at Oberyn with a serious look in his eyes.

“Tell me, Oberyn, wouldn’t you want others to have the kind of love you and Ellaria share? If you think your brother has the opportunity to have that kind of happiness within his grasp, and yet cannot see it, would you just leave him in ignorance and not help him achieve that love? And would you not ask for help from people you trust in order to help that come to pass? ”

Oberyn kept quiet for a while.

“You say that,” he said slowly, “as if you think I’m a romantic.”

“The fact that your support and approval of Trystane and Marcella’s relationship has helped you control your justifiable hatred of my father is proof enough.”

Oberyn was silent again, and then looked at the Lannister friend he never imagined he’d ever have.

“What are you saying, Tyrion?”

Tyrion looked back at one of the very few men he called friend.

“What do you think am I trying to say?”

Oberyn sighed.

“I’ll think about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much internal dialogue for this one, simply because I think that Tyrion and Oberyn would just be straight with each other and simply say aloud what they thought. :)
> 
> I didn't expect this chapter to be a little bit serious, but that's how it unexpectedly turned out! ;P I do foresee more fun chapters in the future, though. Let's see how it pans out. :)


	4. Jaime

Jaime had this thing.

When watching a movie, play, concert, performance, or anything along that line, he always made sure to pee beforehand.

He wasn’t always like that, but he learned the hard way when he gulped down a large-sized soda before watching _Lord of the Rings_ at the cinema with Tyrion. His brother recommended that he make a bathroom run while the trailers were being shown, but he foolishly declined.

 _No need, brother,_ he remembered saying. _My bladder is made of valyrian steel._

However, he didn’t count on the movie being _three hours long_ ( _a vital piece of information that Tyrion did not see fit to share with him)_.

It wouldn’t have been a problem if the movie was crap, as it would have been easy to just stand up and leave for a while. But it wasn’t, and he didn’t want to miss any scene, and so he tried to hold things in as best he could. But by the time the Uruk-hai leader started shooting his first arrow at Boromir ( _who uncannily looked like a younger version of Ned Stark)_ , his bladder of valyrian steel was about to splinter into pieces, and so Jaime stood up and rushed to the bathroom.

Tyrion and him ended up watching the movie again that day, just so he could watch the parts he missed. Jaime also ended up learning the importance of anticipative peeing, a lesson he has taken to heart ever since.

So back to the present, after fighting a _(very)_ strong urge to hit Oberyn Martell in the face, Jaime, together with Brienne, went inside the theater and secured some prime seats. Tyrion arrived not soon after with a peculiar glint in his eye.

He introduced his brother to Brienne before excusing himself to go to the loo, secure in the thought that Tyrion, who was a good conversationalist if he wanted to, would keep Brienne company while he was gone.

Tyrion, after all, understood his thing.

But now, as he made his way back to their seats, he found Brienne flanked on one side by his brother and on the other by the man he just wanted to deck a few minutes ago, Oberyn Martell.

_Damn it, Tyrion._


	5. Brienne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much to the following readers for your comments on chapter 4: Lady_Blade_WarAngel, Lauralina, owlheart, Jades, AJ, NamelessPasserby, Nih and Ragna01. I really appreciated your feedback. :)

_Jaime was acting weird._

Brienne and Jaime had been friends for years. Good friends, at the very least ( _not as close as Jaime and Tyrion, but then again, they were brothers)_. She’d seen him act weird a couple of times _(like that time she danced at a party with Renly Baratheon, but he did say that he thought that he ate some bad shrimp, so maybe that was the reason why)_ , but she couldn’t figure out why Jaime was acting oddly this time around.

It started when he joined her conversation with Oberyn Martell, and continued after he dragged her away from Oberyn, lecturing her while moving towards some empty seats at the front of the theater.

“Oberyn Martell is bad news, Brienne.”

“He was perfectly nice to me, Jaime. I don’t see how you could say that he’s bad news.”

“That’s just how he starts it off. He’ll be nice and charming, but that’s just because he has an ulterior motive. He’s both a womanizer and a… what’s the male version of that? Manizer? ”

“I don’t think there’s such a word as manizer, Jaime.”

“Whatever. But you do get my point, right?”

“That he’s a manizer?”

“Yes. And also a womanizer.”

“At least he’s an equal opportunity –izer,” Brienne said with a slight smile on her lips.

“That’s not funny, Brienne.”

“You’re acting weird, Jaime.”

“Can't I watch out for my friend?”

“Trystane and Mrycella both speak very highly of him. And he has a wife, I think. Ellaria. Myrcie always goes on and on about how in love they are with each other.”

“Trystane and Myrcella are both children. They know nothing.”

“Those children are about to go to college very soon. And they’re really bright. They’ve spent a lot of time with Oberyn, so I’m pretty sure they know something.”

“Nope. They’re still children. They know nothing.”

A drawling voice suddenly joined in the conversation.

“I don’t think Myrcella would appreciate being called a child, brother.”

Jaime threw the speaker an irritated glance. “She hasn’t even graduated high school yet!”

“I have a feeling that if it were up to you, you’d be calling her a child even after she’s married and have had children of her own.”

Jaime scowled.

“Anyway---” the newcomer said as he turned to Brienne, “I'm sorry to have butted in without properly introducing myself. I have to say, though, that even if the gods have deigned me to be a bit smaller than most, I don’t think I’ve ever felt as physically small as right this very moment. Tyrion Lannister, four feet five inches.”

Brienne was a little bit taken aback by Tyrion's mode of introduction, but was able to compose herself quickly.

“Nice to meet you. Brienne Tarth, six feet three inches.”

Tyrion glanced at his brother with a twinkle in his eye. “She’s an inch taller than you, Jaime.”

His lips then quirked into a smirk, which looked so much like Jaime's own. “Obviously, the next generation of Lannisters will be giants.”

“I’m sorry?,” Brienne asked Jaime’s brother _(there was a lot of background noise; she must have misheard Tyrion’s last sentence as it didn’t quite make sense)_.

“Oh, nothing, nothing,” Tyrion said innocently with a smile while Jaime abruptly stood up and muttered that he needed to go to the loo.

 _Weird,_ Brienne thought. _Very weird._


End file.
